The Sapphire Trio
by Frank Shakespeare
Summary: Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott are about to start their first year at Hogwarts, determined to be sorted into Slytherin, when they meet a mysterious curly haired girl that changes just about everything.
1. Chapter 1

"Ravenclaw!"

The Great Hall went eerily quiet as all eyes shifted to focus on the young boy recently sorted. The eleven year old sat frozen on the stool, Sorting Hat still resting on his platinum hair, and worked to control his emotions.

"Up you get, Mister Malfoy," Professor McGonagall directed, pulling the hat from atop his head. The Hall remained silent in response to her direction and Draco Malfoy felt a sickening feeling start to form in the bottom of his stomach.

Shite.

* * *

Theodore Nott was raised in a somewhat unconventional way when it came to Pureblood standards. After his mother's death, his father became even more of a recluse and left the child rearing to the elves of the manor. While this manner of upbringing was not wholly out of place, the lessons taught to him when his father made an appearance were.

"Again," Edmund Nott demanded, ignoring the way his son gasped for air and clenched his fists at his sides. The Lord and his heir were stationed in the manor library, surrounded by books that Nott senior demanded his young son read to prepare for their lesson. He flicked his wand at his son's head and frowned almost immediately at whatever it was he saw. "Stop," he commanded and turned towards the armchair behind him, his robe fluttering behind him at the swift movement.

Theodore collapsed to the rug at his father's voice and let his head rest against the golden fabric. He could feel his jaw clench and unclench as he worked to keep his hands from pulling at his hair. He knew without looking that his father would be glaring at him with disappointment and could not bear the feeling of shame that began to boil in his stomach.

"I apologize -" he began to croak before a sharp crack interrupted him.

"Lord Nott, sir," a sharp voice cried. Theodore looked up from the floor and saw a small elf wringing its little hands as it worriedly addressed the master of the manor. "Tinsy is sorry for interrupting, sir, but Lord and Lady Malfoy has arrived, sir." She glanced down at the young heir lying on the floor in obvious pain. "Heir Malfoy is here as well, sir," she added, bowing her head to Edmund.

"Very well," Edmund replied, slipping his wand into its holster and nodding to his son. "Make yourself presentable, boy."

* * *

Draco sniffed and turned up his nose as he passed through the front entrance of Nott Manor; while a decent size, it was no where close to his own home. His mother and father strode ahead of him following Brutus, the elf butler, towards the lounge. A low whistle caused his ears to perk up and he glanced towards the stairs to his left and saw his best friend, Theo, beckoning him over. As he hurried away, peeking to make sure his parents didn't see him, he passed a mirror and slowed to check his appearance.

His blonde hair was cut and styled as per his mother's request, magic forcing it to stay in place to fight his Black family genetics of waves. His nose was pointed just like his father's and his eyes were silver and matched no one else. High cheekbones gave him a pretty face and even at such a young age, girls fawned over him constantly. He flicked an invisible speck of lint off the collar of his dress shirt and flashed a quick grin. _Perfect._

Turning away from the mirror, he strode towards the stairs and made his way up the marble steps. As he reached the second landing, he noted that several paintings had changed from the last time he was there and made a note to ask Theo about it later.

"About time you wanker," a soft voice whispered, as Draco finally made it to his destination. Theodore grinned at his best friend and reached up to ruffle at his own sandy brown hair. His sweater had specks of dog hair on it and his trousers showed spots of mud on the hems. His bright blue eyes lit up as Draco punched him in the shoulder and pushed past him towards the young heir's wing of the manor.

Walking down the hallway, Draco did his best to ignore the smudges on the dark wood floor and hurried towards his best friend's room. He hated this place, with it's dark corners and dark floors and dark everything, but he couldn't just not come to see Theo before this Sunday's trip to Hogwarts. This was their first year and Draco was determined to be sorted into Slytherin like his mother and father before him; and he would do anything to have Theo be sorted with him.

"So," Draco drawled, pushing open the bedroom door and noting the previously missing paintings from the hallway were added to a corner of the room, "where is it?" He glanced around the room and frowned as the dog did not come into view right away. The wretched beast loved him, for whatever reason, and if you truly prodded him, Draco would admit to liking it as well.

Theo chuckled as he closed the bedroom door, walked a few steps, and threw himself down on his bed. "Father requested that she be put in the barn while your family was here. Something about your parents complaining last time they were here." He raised his eyebrow at his friend and Draco sprawled onto the armchair in the corner.

"Narcissa, I'm sure," Draco responded slowly. "Are you ready for Sunday then?" He asked, seeing the open trunk at the foot of the bed with robes and sweaters spilling out of it and onto the floor.

Theo laughed loudly and rolled his eyes, knowing that the mess was driving his friend mad. "For the most part, if you must know. I've been rereading Hogwarts a History in preparation. Actually, there is something I need to tell you…" he trailed off, suddenly incredibly nervous about what he had to say.

Draco sighed heavily and moved from the armchair to the bed and lay down beside the other young boy. He knew what was coming; Theo was sure he wouldn't be sorted into Slytherin given his mother's previous Hufflepuff placement and Draco was sure that Theo was going to say something stupid about how they would no longer be friends if sorted into separate houses. "Don't even, you prat. It doesn't matter where we get Sorted. We've been best friends all our lives and that isn't going to change if we are different Houses. I swear to Merlin, though, if you get sorted into 'Puff, I won't talk to you for a week."

The two friends giggled to each other and began to speak of other, more happy things, passing the afternoon as only young boys could.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note -** Thank you for the immediate follows! I appreciate them so much. I cannot in anyway guarantee what updates will be like, so following is the best way to know when a new chapter has been posted. Any mess ups are my own as I have no beta. Reviews welcome.

* * *

Hermione Granger sat at her desk, head bent over a notebook and scribbling furiously. She had to get everything down before she forgot it (not that she would) or her parents interrupted her.

Sarah's hair turned green as she teased me

Billy was found in the trash can

Linus, classroom hamster, had all of his food in his cage come morning

She sighed heavily, set her pen down, set her head in her hands and began to massage her temple. Her brown hair with its kinky curls fell down and covered the desk, catching up paperclips and other small items, but she barely even noticed. If she was being honest with herself, Hermione felt like she was going mad and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Inexplicable things just kept happening to her, especially when she was feeling upset or angry, and no one seemed to believe her.

When Sarah's hair turned green, the teacher said it had to be because she had gone swimming the night before and chlorine had stained it over time, but Hermione knew that she had thought about it changing colors as Sarah whispered "curly haired freak" under her breath at her during class. The principal claimed that Billy must have been playing hide-and-seek during recess to explain away his sudden appearance, and Elizabeth, the classroom helper, said she must have forgot to take the food bag out of Linus' cage before going home.

Hermione groaned and gripped her hair tightly in her hands, eyes clenched shut, and breath quickening. Something wasn't right and she just knew it. Deep down in her bones, something was coming and she couldn't do a thing to stop it.

A sound downstairs startled her out of her thoughts and she realized that someone was knocking on the front door. A moment later she heard another knock and wondered where her mum and dad were and why weren't they answering it? Pushing away from her desk, she glanced around the room and pursed her lips as she saw a pair of socks a foot away from the laundry basket. With a quick thought, the socks were suddenly in the basket and Hermione grinned triumphantly before frowning once more. The person knocked again.

Rushing out of her room, Hermione headed towards the stairs and raced towards the front door. "Mum? Dad?" She called as she hurried, reaching the small area before the door and slamming her knee against the shoe bench that rested against the wall. "OW!" She cried, slowing to a stop and grabbing her knee. "Stupid bench," she grumbled, hobbling to the door and flinging it open in frustration.

She stopped. The woman standing there was like a figure out of one her mum's fantasy books; an emerald green traveling cloak covered a proper black dress with many buttons. The woman looked older, like her grandmum, and her hair was swept back in a tight bun and her glasses rested on the tip of her nose.

"Miss Granger?" The woman asked with a slight accent. Hermione nodded silently, eyes wide, and moved out of the way as the woman brushed past her into the home. "Where in Merlin's sake are your parents?" She questioned sharply, glancing around the hallway. Her sharp green eyes seemed to take in everything at once and she began to strode down the hall towards the family room.

"Um, excuse me, but who are you? What are you doing in my house? Are you real? Why are you wearing a cloak?" Hermione gasped out, trailing behind the strange woman. The woman glanced at her before sitting down in the armchair beside the fireplace, hands resting on her knees and back straight. "Mum?" Hermione called again, not breaking eye contact and taking a seat on the sofa. "Mum? Dad?"

"Coming love," a soft voice shouted from somewhere in the house. Hermione could hear her father making his way from his study to the family room and knew she needed to figure out who this woman was before he arrived.

"Miss Granger," the stranger started, adjusting her shoulders as she removed the cloak. "Miss Granger, I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Hermione gasped in response, things falling into place and suddenly making all the sense in the world. Before she could respond, however, a startled voice came from the entrance to the room.

"What the bloody hell?" Charles Granger swore, taking in the odd sight. A woman that looked to be his mum's age was seated in the armchair by the fire. A cloak rested beside her on the armrest and she had just announced that she was from a bloody school of magic. "Who the bloody hell are you?" He demanded, hurrying to Hermione's side and placing a hand on his young daughter's shoulder.

"I knew it!" Hermione shrieked, standing up so suddenly her father's hand was thrown away and he stumbled to the side. "I knew it!" She called again, jumping up once, twice, and then a third time. "All those times my teacher tried to explain things away and I knew what she was saying made no sense and I told you!" Hermione turned to her father, hands on her hips, suddenly looking much older than almost twelve. "How many times did I tell you something was different about me?" She questioned, shaking her head. "How many times did I tell you something wasn't quite right? Or that things can't always be explained? I told you and mum and I told you and you never believed me and I was right." She ended haughtily, but a moment later she realized just how rude she sounded and her hands fell to her sides and she blanched.

"Sorry, dad, sorry, I -"

"Charles, dear, who was at the door -" Charlotte Granger, a beautiful woman with long brown hair tied back in a bandana and wearing a plaid shirt and grass stained jeans, was removing her gardening gloves as she entered the room but paused at the guest sitting in the armchair by the fire. "Minerva?" She gasped, gloves falling to the floor. "Mum said you moved away after Thomas…" Charlotte stopped suddenly feeling rather embarrassed and glanced at her husband and daughter.

"Charlotte," Minerva McGonagall began, nodding at her old neighbor from long ago. "Sit down, all of you. There's quite a bit to explain."

* * *

A week later, Hermione could be found sitting outside in her backyard with her nose shoved in a book. While this was a normal occurrence during the long summer days, the book and topic she perused was not. _Hogwarts, A History_ was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen in her life. Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, this was the stuff of her mum's favorite books, but it was all real and all hers. After the visit with Professor McGonagall, Hermione knew that everything in her life made sense and had a purpose. Magic was the explanation behind all the mysterious things that none of them could ever explain. Not only that, she recalled excitedly, but her mum had known the professor when she was a young girl. While Charlotte had not known that her old neighbor was a witch, it was still astounding to Hermione to know that her mum had been so close for so much of her life.

Pausing in her perusal of the book the Headmistress had left behind for her, she looked around her backyard and grinned. With her parents as well to do dentists, her family was quite well off and the new pool that had been installed this past summer had made her mum quite happy. Charlotte Granger was currently lounging on a floaty in the middle of the pool, sunglasses on with a book resting on her stomach. Charles was sitting in the shade of the deck reading a newly published medical journal.

"Mum," Hermione called, pulling her mother away from her soaking. "Mum, what time did she say she was coming tomorrow?" Already knowing the answer, she flashed her mum a grin as Charlotte removed her sunglasses and squinted at her daughter.

"Hermione," she sighed, glancing towards her husband before turning back to look at her daughter. "Hermione, Minerva is coming tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock sharp to take us school shopping. You know this, I know this, your father knows this, and I'm sure you've asked enough times the neighbors know. Darling, you must be terribly excited, but you have to calm down."

Hermione let out a giggle and set her book down. "Sorry mum," she responded sheepishly. "I just can't believe that in two weeks I won't be going back to that completely rotten school!"

"Hermione," Charles snapped, lifting his head up from the medical journal. "Hermione, love, just stop. Not while we are outside." He glanced towards the fence where the neighbors yard met theirs. Nosy people, the Watersons, and they couldn't risk anyone overhearing something that they shouldn't. The cat woman (she had turned into a bloody cat!) said there was a spell to make _muggles_ forget things they shouldn't know, but he really did not want to find out if it was true or not.

Charles sighed, taking in the sight of his wife and daughter. Knowing they were all thinking the same thing; life was about to change drastically.


	3. Chapter 3

_And now let us welcome the New Year, full of things that never were._

 _\- Rainer Maria Rilke_

 _September 1, 1991_

Hermione woke the morning of September first filled with excitement and apprehension. Today was the first day of the rest of her life and she couldn't believe that magic and all it entailed was actually real. She still woke up in the middle of the night with vivid dreams inspired by her reading of _Hogwarts, A History._ The alarm chimed to signal it was time to get up. Hermione took a deep breath, at up, and got ready for her new life.

* * *

Theodore ran his hand through his shaggy hair and grimaced as he caught a curl. His head still hurt from his meeting with his father yesterday. Edmund was determined that his son be prepared for whatever may come in the next few years. Theodore wasn't exactly sure what his father was expecting considering You-Know-Who had been defeated ten years ago, but assumed he had his reasons.

Theodore looked around his room and grimaced once more. The large bedroom held his king size bed, an armchair, small sofa, table, and a stack of paintings in the corner. The furthest wall had French doors that led to a balcony overlooking the ground's extensive garden. Another door led to his large bathroom with an additional entrance to the walk-in closet. It may be a large space filled with things, but it hadn't felt like home in quite sometime. Perhaps Hogwarts would feel more comfortable for the young wizard, at least, that was the hope.

"Poo," the young master called, shifting in his seat. Poo, his personal House Elf assigned to him on the day he was born and named by Theodore at the young age of two, appeared instantly with a small crack. "Bring me breakfast on the balcony and inform my father that I will be ready to leave in an hour."

Poo wrung her small hands and shifted on her feet. "Master is in meetings today, sir. Master said you's will be going with Malfoy."

Theodore sighed heavily and nodded in response. _Of course._

* * *

"Draco," Narcissa called, throwing open the long floor to ceiling curtains and allowing the sun to fill the room. "Draco Lucius Malfoy, wake up."

Draco groaned, pulled his covers over his head, and yawned widely. His mother scoffed in response and swept out of her son's extensive bedroom and made her way out of his wing (past the small study filled with books and the dining area intended for visiting friends).

The young Malfoy heir threw the covers off his head, stretched, and slipped his feet into his fluffy black slippers. September first, he grinned, recalling the date. Today he would be heading towards Hogwarts (while not as good of a school as Durmstrang, his father's first choice) with his best friend and close allies. He knew without a doubt in his heart that they would all be sorted in Slytherin and his father had assured him that they would rise quickly through the ranks and Draco would eventually become Head Boy. He was completely ready to begin his journey.

* * *

 _Hogwarts Express, 1 o'clock_

Two hours into the ride on the Hogwarts Express and Theo already felt more at home surrounded by his friends than he did alone at the manor. Pansy made a snide remark and Blaise laughed lazily, his tan skin making his dress shirt shine brightly in the compartment.

Greg and Vincent sat gorging on excessive amounts of candy while Draco attempted to flirt with Daphne Greengrass.

"Theo," Pansy said, slamming her hand down on his open book. "Theo, dear, how was your summer?" Before Theo could answer, the compartment door slid opened and the most beautiful girl he had ever seen entered.

"Excuse me," she interrupted, voice shrill and her hair filled the doorway. "Excuse me, have you seen a toad? Neville has lost his." Her dark brown eyes met Theo's blue ones and he felt his heart speed up just a little.

"Neville?" Draco drawled, standing up and walking towards the interlopers. "Sweet Merlin, that's the saddest name I've ever heard." Greg and Vince giggled in response like young school girls and Blaise gave Theo an evil smirk.

"Have you seen the toad or not?" the girl asked again, ignoring Draco's scathing insult. "No? Well, then let's go Neville." As she moved away, Theo could see the small chubby boy shaking behind her. He really was quite sad looking, Theo thought.

Draco slammed the compartment door shut and strode back to his seat. "Did you see her teeth?" He laughed, glancing at his companions. "Theo?"

"Yeah," Theo agreed uneasily, feeling a strange feeling in his gut even as he did. Seeing the small awkward girl ignore Draco so easily had made him feeling something inexplicable. He knew then that he would do anything to get to know her.

* * *

Draco stood outside the Great Hall and did his best to hide his anxiety. Theo stood to his left and the odd, slightly ugly girl from the train stood to his right steadily ignoring his glances. He hadn't meant to be so rude to her, but something had overcome him and he had the strongest desire to get her to notice him.

Other children stood around him talking excitedly as they waited for Professor McGonagall, a harsh woman with a no nonsense demeanor, to return. The girl beside him huffed at something Weasley and Harry Potter (he had tried to befriend him on the train and had been ignorantly turned down) had said.

"It's a Sorting Hat," Theo said suddenly, leaning past Draco to speak to the girl. "Your brothers," he directed at Weasley, and Draco watched the poor red head sneer, "are just pulling your leg. Dragon's would never be allowed at Hogwarts."

Before Weasley could begin to respond, McGonagall had returned and ushered the waiting children into the large hall before him.

Hermione squeaked as her name was called in front of the entire student body. Four incredibly large tables held the four Hogwarts houses, students with long black robes and pointy hats, sporting collars that matched their House colour. Before her was a stool for her sit and beside the stool was Professor McGonagall holding the frayed brown Sorting Hat. Behind the Deputy Headmistress was a long table with all the staff of Hogwarts seated and staring at her expectantly.

With a shaky breath, Hermione smoothed down the front of her robe and began to walk forward, sweeping past the rude boy on the train and his surprisingly knowledgeable companion. She turned and sat down on the old three legged stool and took another breath as the Sorting Hat was placed on her head.

 _Well, well, well, Hermione Granger, eh? Wherever shall I put you? You would do well in Gryffindor, you know; I see your loyalty to family and bravery when you stuck up for that boy on the train. No, no, that's not right… better be… Ravenclaw!_


End file.
